TF Dires

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

(Dunno if I've mentioned it before but I am loving antubis' now comic Lost and Found! Check it out if you haven't! I sure am loving it! Keep up the good work antubis! :)) Okay, this might be a spoiler, but I actually am not sure. So I'm just going to say it. Barricade does not know about Megatron taking Stream to make Optimus and his pack to make them leave their lands. He wasn't paying attention. (At least if he was and I forgot what I typed, please let me know if I am wrong…) Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-One

The day was still new, the sun still not yet shining all the way in the sky. With the air being warmer, one could breathe better in the mountains. But the breeze was stronger, being higher above the landscape. One who was actually enjoying this day was Stream. But even though her body was at peace, her mind and heart were not.

Bumblebee was on her mind. And of course her other friends, but mostly Bumblebee. She missed his childish smiled and personality, hit yellow and brown fur shining in the sun as they walked along the trail at the dens, talking mainly about what they wished they could be and what they had done the previous morning. She missed his humming voice that was like a song to her ear. She missed him. She, like Bumblebee probably, was wondering what he was doing. Was he thinking about her, too? Did he miss her? Of course he did, he loved her. Didn't he? Yes, he did. She sighed sadly. She rested her head on her paws, letting her eyes explore her surroundings. There were boulders around her. She had climbed to one of the biggest ones, to look up at the sky in silent wonder. She had been there for some time that day, and was very hungry now. But hunger didn't bother her much now. She was homesick and did not want to eat or drink or… anything.

Suddenly she thought about her brother. Was Hound taking care of Streak? Primus, what was Streak himself thinking? Was he scared and wondering whether or not she was coming back? Did he lose hope in her, and think that she would never return to him? Oh no… he wasn't like that. He was a persistent pup. Too persistent for his own good. He was always determined about something, he wouldn't give up on her. Not after all of this time. He was young, yes… but he was stronger than any other pup she had known. Despite his flaws. He was clumsy, fearless, which she may not call a flaw, but yet could be something that could get him into trouble, and he was very snappy. He had a bad attitude about many things. But despite all the times she had fought with him, argued, she missed him dearly. She wished that she could escape, and go to comfort him. She wished that she could send a friendly howl, to set him at ease to know that she was alright. But if she did that, she would be in trouble for attracting attention.

Bumblebee then entered her mind. Oh how she missed him. Again and again she would play her memories of him in her mind. But she realized that the more she thought about him, the more she seemed to forget, and the more saddened she felt at the thought of losing every memory she had of him. So she tried to focus on something else to keep her mind occupied. She studied a red bird that had landed on a tree branch right above her. She tilted her head at it when it chirped, but before she could get a good look at it, it flew away in a flurry of red feathers. One of the feathers drifted down and landed at her side without making a sound.

She had found an interest in wildlife lately. She would watch the birds as they grouped up and rushed to the nearest tree that they were closest to. She would watch as they panicked to get to safety from hawks and other predators that could catch them. Deer would graze in the lower fields at dusk and dawn, not daring to venture out during daylight, fearing the danger that walked by day. She would listen to the wildlife, letting the sound of the birds singing and the breeze making the grass quiver. She also thought of her sister. Riverrun had had a scary, unexpected, and very tiring night. She was probably sleeping in Megatron's den, miserable and exhausted. On the bright side, Megatron banished Starscream. Stream didn't have to worry about that anymore at least. She felt sorry for Riverrun, for her having to sleep in the same den as that alpha. But she guessed that she couldn't blame Megatron for that. She herself would be grateful to be in the same den as her savior after what had happened… Would she?

She sighed deeply, closing her eyes for a minute to shut out the world for a reliving moment to herself. She smiled slightly for a second, then she lifted her head to look at the tree above her. Suddenly she frowned when she saw a black bird. It had a longer beak than a sparrow, but had sleek feathers. Its eyes were blood-red as it gazed at her intently. She stared back. She had never seen a bird like that before. It looked so much like a crow, but yet the way it stared at her made shivers go up her spine. She frowned curiously, standing up to get a better look at the strange bird.

She was quiet, studying it just as it watched her in equal curiosity. She cocked her head to the side a little.

"Who are you?" she finally asked, not sure whether she was expecting an answer or not. It was just the way that bird looked at her. It cocked its head too, and blinked its large eyes at her. It didn't seem too willing to speak if it could, but she knew that the bird was thinking something. She didn't know what, but she for sure knew that something was up with this bird.

"Who are you?" Stream jumped when she heard a loud and cracked voice erupt from the bird. She was stunned at first, not sure whether it was a figment of her imagination or not. Had she finally gone crazy from the stress and previous days?

She frowned, wanting to know for sure if this bird actually spoke. "Why are you here?"

"Why are you here?" Its beak moved as it squawked at her. She blinked. Was it copying her? She glared at it.

"Um… What's your name?"

Again, the bird cackled. "What's your name?"

Okay, now it was getting annoying. Her muzzle curled into a snarl and she growled at it. She didn't want to talk to it. It would only repeat what she would say. She sighed and turned away. The bird wasn't worth speaking to if it wouldn't maturely talk back to her like a normal being. Then again, crows were a dumb species anyway. They ruined hunts, gave away locations to kills, and made the most annoying of sounds just to agitate other creatures.

"I see you've already found a disliking to my feathered follower."

Her ears twitched and she twisted her head around to look at the male. He was much bigger than her, and had many scars, including one over his right eye and foreleg. His fur was dark, with dim green on his underbelly and face. His eyes were a deep red, just like the rest of the pack. He looked a bit creepy, but yet there was a softness in his eyes that she did not quite understand.

"But it's understandable," he continued, glaring up at the bird for a moment before gazing back at her again. "Laserbeak has a tendency to get on my very last nerve as well. I apologize about him."

Stream continued to frown at the wolf, and then turned her head, not wanting to talk to anybody at the moment. Besides, he looked a bit creepy. She didn't want to face him. She looked out at the world again, silent and homesick.

"I understand that you are missing your home, young one." He continued in a calm, dull voice. "But heed my words, you may join them. Soon enough."

The young wolf, upon hearing this, looked at Shockwave with large curious eyes, interested to hear more. "What do you mean?"

The older wolf gazed at her with unfazed red eyes as he walked closer to her, preparing to sit next to her but to have her scoot away warily, but still watching him with sudden interest. Seeing as she didn't not want him so close, he just plainly sat where he intended and took in a deep breath.

"With the way your future is planned, I'd say that you will be walking with your family on the way down to Shadow Valley by tomorrow evening."

Stream's eyes widened, and she leaned back some in shock of what his words. Shadow Valley? Wasn't that the place that those who had no homes went after they had been banished? Could it be possible that Starscream was there as well? She had heard many stories about that place. But her own pack had called them the Deserted Lands. They called it that because nothing could survive there and that the place was lifeless, said to be made by the Devil himelf. The land was dry like a desert, harsh and very hot, and that's what it basically was. A desert.

But on the far side, if one was brave enough and strong enough to cross the unforgiving desert, the rest of the lands were a great swamp. The water there was said to be poisoned, green and muddy, and could kill any who take a single sip of it. The ground was slick with slime, making is almost impossible to walk on, trees had moss growing on all sides, so no one could tell which way was North, South, East or West. Fog was always surrounding the land, even in the desert, and whoever wondered near and got caught in the blanket of darkness, they became very confused, and later on if they stayed, they'd go crazy, insane. They wouldn't be the same as they used to. They would look the same, with an exception of being very thin, but they would not act like themselves. It was almost impossible to escape there, but there was that very slim exception for those who were physically strong enough to crawl out of the forbidden lands. Her pack had called them 'The Possessed'. They would act like they were possessed by demons or ghosts of those who had not made it out of there alive.

But the worse thing about Shadow Valley, was the Hellhounds that inhabited the land. They were true monsters, said to be created along with the land to keep poor souls from leaving. They were much, much bigger than Dire wolves. They all had black fur, green eyes, but some did have yellow. They had horns that grew from their heads, like large spikes. They had longs legs for running very fast, no one could outrun them. They had acute senses of sight, smell, and hearing. They could track down any soul who had wandered into their area. They came to life from the fog at night, created by the pigments in the air and took shape of fearsome creatures that roamed the night.

Stream stared at Shockwave in sheer terror, too shocked to speak. Was what he said true? Was she doomed to be killed in Shadow Valley? To be mauled by Hellhounds? To be robbed of her soul to be replaced by another? To be possessed, and to wander around like an insane, rabid being who had no train of thought at all? Undead? God… Primus… No! Those thoughts were too horrifying, too sickening… They would haunt her for night.

"I know," the older wolf sighed sharply, shrugging her expression off. "It's probably cruel. But we do what we have to."

"What, exactly, do you have to do?!" she snapped. The bird cackled in fright and surprise and almost fell off his branch. Shockwave tilted his head distractedly.

"Survive."

"The hell with that! You call this surviving? Sending other wolves to their death or insanity only to survive?! How could someone live such a weak and savage life?"

Shockwave's eyes widened in deep thought as he considered her opinion and questions. He understood her perfectly. But he could not do anything about the situation. In reality, he wasn't even sure if Megatron was going to send Optimus and his pack to Shadow Valley in particular, but putting this image in the female's mind would make her even more afraid, and dread tomorrow. When Megatron took her to meet Optimus Prime, she would be too scared, and Optimus would have a soft heart and leave with her and his pack. It was a simple plan.

He could see her fur trembling. He was satisfied with his work.

"I wish you a warm day." Then he stood up and turned away, padding off, and away from the bristled and very nervous young female. She stared at him in fright. Was he telling the truth? Was Megatron really that cruel to send her and her family there? What about Riverrun? Would he send her with them? Primus… How could she live without her sister there to comfort her during the hard times?

She shakily sat back down, curling her tail around her haunches. She wasn't sure why, but she looked up at the bird. She stared at it again. Then she felt a sudden rage and she bared her teeth at it.

"Go away!" she snarled, suddenly jumping up and snapping at the crow. Laserbeak yelped and flapped his wings frantically, having felt the breath of the wolf and seeing her teeth snap at him. He flew off in a panic, in the same direction Shockwave had gone.

"And stay gone…" she huffed as she dropped to the ground. She felt her eyes swell. She then began to cry, her chest tightening and her throat swelling. She wanted nothing but to be with her family… with Bumblebee… with Streak… At that moment, she hated life.

He was sniffing around, and had heard the shouting. He perked his ears towards the source, staring at some bushes before shrugging and going back to letting his nose lead him toward the scent of a mole that he dug around some tree roots. He took in the scent, testing when it had been there. The scent was old. The rodent was long gone, and with it a chance to catch his own food. That tiny pest was not good anyway… Not much meat. Suddenly he spotted Shockwave. The older wolf was walking slowly, with his partner Laserbeak perched on his back and cackling on and on about some useless thing he had seen in the woods. From what the young wolf could hear, it was about a stupid deer than had run into a tree and gotten himself stuck. At that moment, he could go for some deer meat. It made his mouth water at the thought.

As Shockwave disappeared, he huffed. How could a wolf be partners with a filthy bird like that? That feather-brained creature was a dumb little thing, not too bright, and had a beak too big for his own head. Which meant, that he talked too big for such a small animal, if that made any sense. Laserbeak often picked on Barricade, calling him a puny runt that knew nothing about hunting and was too young to be out on his own and depended on his 'mother', Bonecrusher. Barricade had taught him not to get to close, though, plucked a few feathers from his rear. He couldn't understand it. He wondered why Megatron hadn't killed the bird yet, or the ferrets that Soundwave kept with him, Rumble and Frenzy. Those two were always causing trouble. Barricade had gotten into a scuffle with them once. Soundwave never made an attempt to stop him either.

Then he caught the sound of some mumbling as he was looking around. He frowned to himself. He turned his head and looked back at the bushes again, considering the thought of meeting her again. She surely was an attractive young female, but she was a bit aggressive. He couldn't blame her, though. He would be too, if he had been kidnapped by another pack and was kept in their territory by force. Well, if that happened, he would simply just escape at dark when they were all asleep. He would be back to his own pack and he would tell Megatron, then they would come back and kill those who had done wrong. Those wolves would be sorry.

But Barricade wasn't the one who was being kept here. She was. He admired her, and wished that he could talk to her in a normal way without her snapping at him. He had tried talking to her once, but she was tired, not wanting to be bothered. He would just walk up and speak to her with a big smile and a nice personality. He always thought himself good with females Who wouldn't think so? He was strong, he was handsome, he could fight, he could defend, he was just about as good as a wolf as one could get. But there was one problem…

He had never talked to a female before. How could one think he was good with the ladies, if he had never had the experience? That was a great flaw if he wanted to impress a beautiful female such as Stream. She certainly was a new type of wolf. Not in species, but certainly in gender. She had a feisty attitude, which hid under that soft face, those sparkling light blue eyes. He had often found himself staring at her whenever he could watch her without her knowing. She was different, she was simply…. What was the word?

Captivating. Yeah, that was the word. Captivating... Such an odd word. But yet it held such a meaning that he wasn't even sure if it could describe such beauty. She had the most lightest of fur he had ever seen, that blue darkened her figure in her legs and back, her ears and… It just fascinated him. He had never met a female before, for he wasn't allowed to speak with Riverrun often. Whenever he saw her, he just saw another wolf, someone for Megatron to cuddle with at night. Barricade often found it gross, to sleep with a female like that. How could such a powerful leader succumb to such a weak female?

Then again… was he himself succumbing to Stream? She for one wasn't paying any mind to him, but yet he seemed so amazed by her, so enchanted. How, though? How did she do it? Did females have a curse or magic that could put males in a trance? It confused him, and he wanted to ask her. But then she would think him just stupid. Magic wasn't real. It was only a myth, something elders told young pups in stories of their ancestors. He thought it foolish himself. Those stories were for tiny, weak pups. Not for older, stronger juveniles just learning how to hunt.

He thought for a long time. He badly wanted to speak to her, but was wary of her shouting at him and probably getting him into trouble. Maybe if he picked his words just right, and used the right tone, she would accept him. She just might talk to him. But he would have to play his cards right, and figure out a game plan. He became lost in his mind for a while, desperately trying to think of a way to make her pay attention to him. He knew one thing, the first time he would approach her, she would reject him. He would have to be persistent, make her pay attention.

So he took in a deep and silent breath, and then he carefully stepped through the brush, his head lowered. "Um… hey," his voice rang at her quietly at first, but it echoed, sharp but actually soft.

She took in a sharp breath to try to calm herself, but lost it and sobbed again. She covered her muzzle with her paws. He tilted his head as he watched her. She was in distress. This was not exactly what he had expected. But he took extra caution and slowed his pace.

"Go away…" he heard her sob.

But his footsteps came closer, and he was at her side, lowering his muzzle to examine her. She wasn't hurt physically. But why was she so sad? As he looked her over, she could see his black paws carefully padding around her. She resisted the urge to look up.

"What's wrong with you?" Barricade asked casually, frowning at her in curiosity.

She lifted her head, and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She glared up at him.

"Why do you want to know?" she snapped, her eyes swollen from crying.

Barricade lifted a paw, and stared at her in confusion. Her features were frozen in a grimace, her lip pulled up just to show one or two teeth, but besides that she was still pretty. But he knew that this was no time to fall for her. Now was the time to actually be serious. He frowned at her again, not wanting to let her talk to him in such a way. But it was a soft frown.

"Because I wanted to know why you were so upset." he growled softly.

She flattened her ears, not wanting speak, but not wanting to be alone. She debated with herself in her mind. Could she trust him enough to speak to him in a way that she might with a friend? Might be worth a shot. If he made her mad, she could just snap at his ears and he'd run away with his tail between his legs. Easy enough. But yet when she gazed at him as he watched her, she could see a lightness in his eyes. They were not dark in an evil way. They were light, innocent. No dark purpose within them. She could see concern in them as well, unless her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"… Alright…" she sighed, lifting her head to look him in the eyes as he laid down beside her. He looked back at her, but surprisingly there was no aggression in his eyes. He was calm. But when she said nothing, he turned his eyes away. They were silent for a while. Neither knew what to say. Stream was too wary to speak, Barricade was waiting for her to speak first. But at this rate, it seemed that either of them would start, so he decided that he would make the first move.

"So, what's up?" he huffed, twitching his ears and looking at her again.

She shrugged, reluctant still to talk to him, but not wanting to stay silent. "Besides that fact that I am far from home, scared for my life, missing my family and friends and having to stay here with your pack until tomorrow only to be sent to Shadow Valley to die… I am physically alright. Mentally, not so much…"

Barricade stared at her for a moment, chewing on what she had said. Holy Unicron… Shadow Valley? That was a bad place. He'd heard stories about that place. It was said that it held Hellhounds, and other creatures that hadn't eaten for years. And that they ate each other to stay alive, only to die by poisoning from drinking swamp water or disease from eating rotten corpses. And what's this about his pack sending them there? He knew something about driving the River Pack out of their territory, but nothing about Shadow Valley. After a minute of thinking, he shook his head and decided to go along with it, wanting to get those horrific images out of his mind. He'd find out about this later from Bonecrusher.

"Oh, well… sorry about that."

"Sorry? Is that all you can say?"

"What else can I say?" he retorted, having forgot about his 'game plan' from earlier.

She shook her head, and looked away from him, her eyes now cold. He could see her eyes tearing up. He felt something that he hadn't felt in a very long time, wasn't even sure if he had ever felt it before. It was a sudden guilt in his heart, a sad guilt that ate at his core. He wasn't sure of how to handle it, and tore his eyes away from her. He became quiet, and very unsure of himself. But he couldn't resist turning his eyes to see her again. She seemed too sad, so wary of everything. He felt sorry for her.

"Um… Stream, was it? Look, I am very sorry about what has happened… But my pack has to do what it has to do. Doesn't your pack do the same to others?"

She arched a brow at him, giving him a rejecting expression and making him blink in confusion of what he had said.

"…No?" she said after a moment, "We don't. We are kind to other wolves, even if I have not come across any in that pack besides them. Optimus and his friends are nice, and do not use others to get their own way."

"Oh yeah?" he snorted, rolling his eyes and looking away. "You should've seen them when they used me to get that yellow wolf back."

"What?" she frowned at him.

"Oh nothing… just the fact that they had caught me, dragged me out of my den, took me to Optimus Prime, and then threatened my pack that they would kill me if they didn't give them back Bumblebee. I almost died that day!"

"Well them maybe your pack shouldn't have stolen him in the first place!" Stream remembered the story Bumblebee had told her, about when he was only a pup and was taken and too was used to 'get back' part of Megatron's pack when it was really Starscream to blame.

Barricade glared at her, but kept his tongue in check and looked away. "It was just a big misunderstanding."

"Yeah, I guess it was." She looked away, not wanting to talk to him. He huffed, and kept his gaze elsewhere, hoping to find something to settle his mind on besides the absolutely moody female beside hm. Maybe it was a mistake to confront her. Maybe he should have resumed to trying to find that mole that was probably some ways below them now.

Stream glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He was tense, but he seemed very eager about something. She frowned, and shook her head.

Males… she thought agitatedly.

He saw her shake her head, and growled to himself. Females…

They both kept to themselves for a while, and were very tense. They didn't want to talk to one another, but yet they threw glances at each other at almost every minute. Testing each other probably… They both seemed eager to say something, but neither willing to start.

Finally she sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "Alright… Barricade-,"

"I'm sorry…" he cut her off, snapping his head to look at her again, and saw the confusion on her face. They both stared at each other, an awkward silence without the tension. But they both surprised themselves when they suddenly started laughing lightly, little more than a chuckle but not exactly an actual laugh.

They smiled at each other. Barricade felt his heart skip a few beats in his chest, seeing her bright eyes shining in actual happiness rather than misty sadness. They were much more attracting, more luminous. She was much more appealing now.

She, too, noticed the sudden change in her company's character. He was so stern, he was more childish, more sweet, happy. He wasn't like the others. He was her age, and much more in favor to be with. She liked his smile, it was darkish, but yet very attractive. He was kind in heart, from what she could see. He clearly didn't come her to bug her. She suddenly stopped herself. Primus… She was falling for him. But what about Bumblebee? No… no, no, no… She couldn't do this! She didn't love Barricade. She loved Bumblebee! She abruptly stood up and walked away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, bewildered by the way she unexpectedly left him alone.

"I can't do this…" she muttered flatly.

He stared at her, picking out any reasons of why she grew so upset again. Then it hit him. He frowned, feeling his fur bristle slightly.

"It's that yellow wolf, isn't it?" he demanded, standing up as well.

She didn't look at him. She didn't say anything either. He sighed and made a disgusted face. "That runt?! You got to be kidding me! He's weak! He didn't do a thing to protect himself when he last encountered my pack. He was scared of me. He and his guardian ran away like a bunch of cowards when Starscream found you!"

She suddenly snapped her head to glare at him. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the sheer aggression in her eyes. Uh oh… total mess up… God why did he have to say that?! Before he could find another solution to solve the problem, she advanced on him.

"And what about you?! I've heard that he tore you up like a human's pet's toy! You are the only 'runt' in this pack as well, and what about your guardian? Huh? You wolves are just as pathetic as you say my pack is!"

He began to back up, his feet almost touching each other when she kept walking at him.

"You don't have any right to judge my family, the only one I have! We do not judge you for who you are, but of what you do! I don't understand why you are so nice to me, when you say my family is so weak. Barricade, if you had any good in your heart, you'd know that what you and your pack is doing, is wrong."

Barricade had been backed up to the edge of the flat surface of the boulder they had been sitting on. He didn't notice until he had fallen over the side and onto his back with a hard thud, knocking the wind out of him. Above, he could see her surprised expression turn back into aggression before she disappeared to go and sit in her spot she was in before.

Whoa… maybe saying that was a bad idea… He grunted as he rolled over and pushed himself to his paws.

He would talk to her later. But now wasn't the time anymore. He had already ruined the moment…

Like I have said before, if I have made a mistake, let me know. Thanks, comment!